Toronto Metropolitan University dropout-turned-filmmaker goes viral after winning film award

Reangsei Phos grew up with onions in a corner in every room in his house.

That was his mom's doing, as was splashing water throughout the home and arranging furniture a certain way, to ward off bad energy, Phos says.

It wasn't until he was older did he realize these superstitions were often rooted in myths and were uncommon outside of East Asian cultures.

"Looking back to those memories, I remember the difficulties of navigating my mom being really superstitious," Phos says.

"So, what if I did a film about that?"

In 2020, Phos says he dropped out of film school at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) to create his first short thriller film, Talisman. It follows a superstitious Chinese family settling into a new home that their son Yi believes is haunted, but is told is protected by similar superstitions that Phos grew up with.

"I haven't really seen this story before, especially within East Asia. This is one story that I want to tell," said Phos.

It premiered this spring and was given an audience's choice award at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth (NFFTY) in Seattle, and was picked up by a distribution label on YouTube last month. His TikTok account dedicated to his filmmaking journey has at over 100 millions views.

Phos hopes his success continues and helps him tell more stories starring Asian characters on the big screen.

"I'm really big on Asian representation, and bringing the spotlight to us and representing us in a way that feels truthful," says Phos.

Since filming started in the summer of 2020, COVID-19 restrictions, staffing issues and funding proved to be some of the biggest challenges Phos' crew faced early on.

But even after he finished filming and editing almost a year later, with support of about $10,000 through an Indiegogo campaign, there was a lot still at stake. NFFTY was their only shot at recognition, as it was the sole festival to accept their film from about 15 other festivals they approached, Phos says.

"I took a huge risk dropping out of school... if it didn't pay off, there wasn't really a backup plan," said Phos.

While it was recognized at the festival and picked up by film platform ALTER on YouTube shortly after, it wasn't enough. People weren't flocking to the film like he thought they would, he said.